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Bra3il 


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Its  people  anb  Ubetr 
Evangeltsatton. 


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m :©*  2)-  2). 

je  ^ 


lPubUsbc5  b^  the  foreign  aDission  »oarb, 
©<yytTyern  ^Baptist  Convention, 
If^icfcmonb  t!)a. 

1900. 


Mit  IIS  People  oii  Ihelf  [veiieilioii. 

By  W.  B.  Bagby,  D.  D.,  Rio,  Brazil. 

After  eighteen  years  in  South  America’s  great 
Republic,  intermingling  with  its  people,  enter- 
ing their  homes,  studying  their  customs  and 
habits,  and  observing  their  political,  social,  and 
religious  life,  one  ought  to  be  able  to  speak  out 
>f  a full  brain  and  heart  concerning  the  land, 
Lhe  people,  and  their  prospects.  Yet  such  is 
'he  very  magnitude  of  the  task  that  we  hesi- 
ate  to  approach  it. 

BRAZILIAN  HISTORY. 

With  a history  reaching  back  three  hundred 
fears  to  the  times  of  Coligny  and  his  Huguenot 
colony,  to  the  Portuguese  Jesuits,  and  to  the 
Dutch  settlements  and  wars  at  Pernambuco 
and  Bolivia,  Brazil  presents  a varied  and  pic- 
turesque life-story  for  our  study. 

It  tells  of  savage  tribes  and  their  fierce  war- 
fare; of  colonies  gradually  reaching  back  to 
the  great  forests  of  the  interior,  and  along  the 
mighty  coast-line  from  the  Amazon  to  the  La 
Plata;  of  dark  ship  loads  of  slaves  brought 
from  Yoruba  and  Benin  to  till  the  great  coffee 
and  cane  plantations;  of  feudal  lords,  living 
in  medieval  power  and  medieval  barbarism; 


3 


of  Romish  priests  and  friars,  with  their  relig- 
ious mummery,  their  “festas,’'  and  gaudy  rites 
and  long  processions  and  “miracles"’;  and  of  an 
imperial  court-life,  strangely  out  of  place  in 
this  new  world  and  its  democratic  population. 

THE  BRAZILIAN  PEOPLE. 

The  Brazilians  are  a mixture  of  many  races. 
The  old  Portuguese  settlers  who  first  came 
from  the  Douro  and  the  plains  of  Algarve, 
were  not  over  nice  in  morals,  and  many  of  them 
left  their  wives  in  the  fatherland— here  to 
“adopt”  Indian  and  negro  “companions”  for 
wives,  and  so  gradually  the  three  races  were 
intermingled.  Afterwards  new  colonists,  mer- 
chants, physicians,  artisans,  and  farmers  came 
and  brought  their  families  along  with  them. 
Other  foreigners  from  different  lands— some 
from  the  Rhine,  some  from  the  Swiss  valleys, 
some  from  the  hillsides  of  France,  some  from 
Poland,  and  many  from  Italy  and  Spain — came 
over  as  the  years  passed  by. 

To-day  th^  population  of  North  Brazil  is 
largely  a mixture  of  aboriginal,  African  and 
white  races,  while  in  South  Brazil  the  whites 
predominate.  Thousands  of  Italians,  Portu- 
guese, Germans,  Polanders,  and  Spanish  are 
scattered  over  the  southern  States,  and  are  rap- 
idly growing  in  numbers  and  infiuence,  and 
moulding  the  habits  and  character  of  the 
masses. 


4 


A LAND  OF  PROMISE. 

Great  things  are  in  store  for  this  southern 
world.  God  has  given  it  an  immense  territory, 
wdiere  multiplied  millions  of  our  race  are  des- 
tined to  dwell.  Its  soil,  rich  in  all  the  elements 
of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  gives  back  quick 
and  abundant  reward  to  labor.  Its  climate, 
a^vay  from  the  coast-line,  is  salubrious,  mild, 
and  invigorating.  Its  products  are  as  varied 
as  the  necessitieg  of  man,  and  its  natural  life  is 
prolific  and  vigorous.  The  multitudes  of  Eu- 
rope are  gathering  to  this  sunny  clime.  It 
offers  them  homes  and  food  and  raiment.  Six- 
teen or  seventeen  million  souls  now  form  the 
nation,  but  the  growth  of  population  is  rapid, 
and  in  a few"  years  twmnty-five  or  thirty  mil- 
lions will  here  make  their  dwelling-place. 

A LAND  OF  PROGRESS. 

Many  and  far-reaching  have  been  the  changes 
for  betterment  in  these  last  score  years.  New 
methods  of  agriculture  are  taking  the  place  of 
the  old.  Skilled  labor  is  substituting  the  anti- 
quated slave  toil  of  yore.  Great  cities  are 
springing  up,  north  and  south.  People  are  mov- 
ing more  rapidly.  Education  is  extending.  The 
arts  and  sciences  are  being  cultivated.  Lib- 
erty is  abroad  in  the  land,  and  enlightenment 
is  following.  The  Gospel  is  giving  us  both,  and 
its  power  is  growdng. 

A LAND  PREPARED  FOR  THE  GOSPEL.  | 
When  nearly  twenty  years  ago  we  began  our" 


5 


Brazilian  life,  there  was  much  to  hinder  and 
dishearten  the  Christian  worker.  A tyrannical 
State  Church  held  sway  in  the  land.  Intoler- 
ance and  persecution  met  us  on  every  hand. 
Stones  were  flung  at  us,  and  our  lives  w^ere 
in  constant  danger.  The  people  in  general  were 
not  anxious  to  hear  our  message.  Few  read  our 
tracts  and  Gospels.  It  was  a trjdng  time  of 
much  labor  and  little  fruit. 

Great  changes  have  taken  place.  The  mon- 
archy and  the  State  Church  have  gone,  and 
we  believe  forever.  A new  day  has  dawned  on 
Brazil.  The  people  now  give  willing  and  even 
eager  attention  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel, 
and  almost  everywhere,  in  spite,  of  much  oppo- 
sition still  from  priests  and  other  fanatical  Ro- 
manists, our  preaching  halls  are  well  filled 
several  times  a week  with  earnest  listeners. 
Last  year  we  reported  nearly  three  hundred 
baptisms  in  our  twenty-three  churches.  These 
now  stretch  in  a thin  line  from  the  Amazon 
Valley  to  Sao  Paulo,  and  back  toward  the  in- 
terior of  Central  and  South  Brazil.  This  year 
the  indications  point  to  great  results--many 
conversions  and  the  upbuilding  of  the  churches. 

OUR  WORK. 

In  Rio  Janeiro,  after  years  of  toil  and  waiting, 
we  are  reaping  a blessed  harvest,  and  the  out- 
look is  one  of  much  promise.  With  a new  mis- 
sionary on  the  field,  and  a strong  man  for  the 
pastorate  of  the  church,  our  cause  ought  to 


make  rapid  progress  in  this  metropolis  of  Bra- 
zil. Its  population  is  now  nearly  800,000  souls. 
The  four  evangelical  denominations  at  work 
are  all  making  excellent  progress,  and  report 
large  and  increasing  attendance  on  religious 
services. 

In  Sao  Paulo,  the  second  city  in  Brazil  in 
population  and  in  wealth,  and  the  first  probably 
in  education  and  in  progress,  our  work  is  at 
last  beginning,  and  with  a strong  force  at  work 
in  that  centre  we  may  confidently  look  for 
great  results  by  God’s  blessing.  In  the  region 
around  Campos,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Rio  Ja- 
neiro State,  our  cause  is  greatly  prospering. 
Five  hundred  Baptist  believers  are  now  found 
in  that  district,  and  are  zealously  evangelizing 
in  the  towns  and  villages  around  them.  In 
North  Brazil  three  great  centres  give  forth  the 
light  to  the  regions  about  them.  While  sadly 
reeding  fellow-laborers  for  the  vast  fields  of 
moral  and  spiritual  desolation  which  surround 
them,  yet  our  brethren  at  Bahia,  Pernambuco, 
and  Para  are  valiantly  struggling  to  give  the 
knowledge  of  salvation  to  the  darkened  minds 
and  hearts  of  that  vast  tropic  world. 

Far  up  the  Amazon,  Eric  Nelson  is  going,  car- 
rying Bibles  and  tracts,  and  preaching  the  Gos- 
pel as  he  journeys.  Z.  C.  Taylor  makes  exten- 
sive journeys  to  the  interior  of  Bahia  State,  and 
calls  are  continually  coming  to  him  to  visit 
other  distant  towns  and  villages.  Entzminger 


7 


is  sounding  forth  the  doctrines  of  the  cross  in 
the  interior  of  Pernambuco  State. 

VAST  DESTITUTE  FIELDS. 

After  all,  how  little  has  been  done,  compared 
with  the  labor  awaiting  us!  We  are  preaching 
the  Gospel  in  the  large  cities  of  the  coast,  and 
in  some  of  the  interior,  but  the  far  larger  part 
of  the  population  has  as  yet  been  entirely  un- 
evangelized.  Of  the  800,000  souls  in  Rio  Ja- 
neiro, probably  700,000  have  never  once  heard 
the  Gospel  story!  Of  the  remaining  100,000, 
probably  not  more  than  three  or  four  thousand 
are  saved,  and  the  majority  are  yet  ignorant 
of  the  way  of  life  in  its  simplicity  and  freeness  I 
In  the  other  large  cities,  excepting,  possibly 
two,  the  case  is  worse.  Of  the  fourteen  States 
where  there  are  any  workers  at  all,  only  a few 
points  are  occupied,  while  hundreds  remain  un- 
touched. Far  the  greater  part  of  Minas 
Geraes,  Rio  Janeiro,  Bahia,  Pernambuco,  Ma- 
ranhao,  Para,  and  Amagonas  States  are  com- 
pletely un evangelized,  while  there  are  towns 
and  villages  thickly  scattered  over  Rio  Grande. 
Parana,  Sao  Paulo,  Ceara,  and  other  States 
where  the  voice  of  the  preacher  is  never  heard. 
Five  or  six  great  States  are  yet  without  a mis- 
sionary, and  probably  without:  a single  perma- 
nent worker  within  their  bounds! 

Literally,  there  are  at  least  ten  or  twelve  mil- 
lion people  in  the  Republic  who  are  living  and 
dying  in  utter  ignorance  of  Christ  and  His 


8 


great  salvation!  Five  denominations  are  at 
work  in  the  land,  but  the  force,  all  told,  is  scat- 
tered over  an  immense  territory,  with  its  work- 
ers far  separated  and  totally  inadequate  to  the 
task  before  them. 

THE  NEED  OF  NEW  MEN. 

Our  missionary  force  calls  for  immediate  re- 
inforcement by  strong  and  vigorous  men  and 
women,  ‘‘full  of  faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost.” 
Rio  Janeiro,  Bahia,  and  Pernambuco  Missions 
must  each  have  a new  missionary  couple,  and 
that  without  delay,  if  our  work  is  successfully 
carried  forward.  While  we  would  gladly  util- 
ize all  available  native  talent,  we  must  have 
missionary  leaders  and  directors  and  pioneers, 
north  and  south.  The  number  on  the  field  is 
utterly  unable  to  do  the  work,  which  must  be 
done  by  the  missionaries,  or  not  done  at  all. 
Ofttimes  no  rest  can  be  taken  by  exhausted 
workers,  because  there  are  none  to  relieve  them. 
This  is  not  economy.  It  is  not  justice.  It  is 
suicidal. 

NATIVE  WORKERS  AND  EDUCATION. 

Our  great  need  in  Brazil  is  for  preachers, 
evangelists,  and  pastors,  and  missionaries. 
Education  is  secondary,  not  first.  We  have 
honored  the  preaching  of  the  AVord  in  our  South 
American  work,  and  God  has  blessed  us  and  it. 
We  intend  always  to  make  it  first.  But  mis- 
sionaries, however  urgently  needed,  and  how- 


9 


ever  diligently  they  preach,  can  never  do  the 
larger  part  of  the  preaching  needed.  This  must 
be  done  by  natives,  and  in  order  for  them  to  do 
it  intelligently,  acceptably,  and  effectively  they 
must,  as  a rule,  be  trained  and  educated.  Now 
and  then  educated  men,  richly  and  specially 
endowed  with  natural  gifts,  can  do  good  and 
lasting  work,  but  generally  our  native  preach- 
ers sadly  need  training,  educating,  and  direct- 
ing. Few  of  them  know  how  to  organize  and 
direct  and  solidfy. 

Our  Brazilian  Christians  are  yet  for  the  most 
part  from  the  poor  and  working  classes.  Very 
few  of  them  are  well  educated.  Our  young  men 
have  had  little  early  training  in  home  or  school. 
When  God  calls  them  into  the  ministry,  they 
must,  therefore,  begin  their  studies,  generally, 
at  the  bottom. 

HOW  SHALL  THEY  BE  EDUCATED? 

This  is  one  of  the  great  and  burning  questions 
before  the  missionaries  and  the  churches  to- 
day in  this  field.  It  looms  up  before  us,  and 
must  be  solved.  We  sorely  need  a training 
school  for  our  young  preachers.  Our  mission- 
ary force  is  much  scattered  and  very  ’ small. 
We  have  only  seven  inale  missionaries  for 
tvrenty  States  I Who  shall  train  our  young  Bra- 
zilian preachers?  Who  has  the  time?  How 
can  they  be  supported  while  studying?  We  are 
sadly  perplexed  about  this  matter. 

A number  of  young  men  in  Rio  and  Campos, 


^foreign  Mission  Journal. 


RA  TES  PER  ANNbM, 

One  copy,  35  cents;  in  clubs  of  ten  or  more,  25 
cents  each,  and  a copy  free  to  the  party  getting 
up  the  club.  We  prefer  to  send  the  Journal 
separately  addressed  to  each  subscriber. 

To  keep  informed  of  our  Foreign  Mission 
work,  take  The  Journal.  You  see  letters  from 
the  various  mission  fields.  There  are  special 
departments  for  the  Woman’s  Missionary  Union 
and  for  the  Young  People. 

Address, 

FOREIGN  MISSION  JOURNAL, 
Richmond,  Ya. 


Ai  A A A A v**  A A A A A A A A A A A M 


